A few months ago, I embarked on the most stressful journey of my life – moving with cats from Thailand to the UK.

Due to the tragic loss of a close family member, I had to move back to the UK after 5 years in Thailand. And I had to do it fast.

Luckily, my three cats were already as ‘travel-ready’ as they could be. Their vaccines, rabies titer test, & pet passports were all in order.

So surely the last part of the process would be pretty simple, right?

Well, that’s what I thought!

I’m going to be honest – Moving with cats from one side of the world to the other when you’ve never done it before is NOT easy. Nor is it stress-free.

But for us expats, it’s something we’ll likely have to do at some point.

And as many of you know, my cats are like my children – leaving them behind was NEVER an option.

So, to help you prepare for and know what to expect when traveling overseas with cats, I’m sharing my experience.

From carrying your pet through airport security and making a litter box on the plane, here’s how I survived the crazy travel experience of moving with cats!

Planning, Planning, Planning

I had two weeks to arrange everything and get back to the UK with my three cats. And damn, how stressful it was.

Now, I should preface – I was dealing with intense grief and emotional stress at this time. So my stress resilience was already at an all-time low. I would like to think that under “normal” circumstances, I would not have been so anxious about it.

Even so, I was shocked to learn how much planning, preparation, and paperwork is required to bring pets from Thailand to the UK. Two weeks is undoubtedly the absolute minimum time you need to prepare for this trip.

The first hurdle I had to overcome was finding an airline and flight that would accept 3 cats…

Understanding My Options For Moving With Cats

Traveling with more than one cat is challenging as all airlines only allow one cat per person in the cabin.

As I was traveling with my partner, this meant we could bring two cats in the cabin. The other one would have to go in the hold.

Now, believe me when I say I tried to find a way around this and begged the airline staff. But there was no way to bring three cats on the plane with two people.

Therefore, I had to find a flight that accepted BOTH pets in the cabin AND pets in the hold, which is surprisingly tricky.

Many flights (across multiple airlines) would only allow them in the cabin. This was because the planes did not meet the legal requirements for transporting animals in the hold or the flight/layover time was too long.

I first tried to book a direct flight from Bangkok to Amsterdam (I’ll explain later why I flew into Amsterdam) to avoid a layover. But no direct flight would accept pets in the hold.

Knowing a direct flight was impossible, I decided to fly out of Phuket instead. At least then I could eliminate the Phuket to Bangkok leg of the trip.

I had one choice of airline – Turkish Airlines.

Booking & Confirming My Pet Reservation

I hadn’t heard great things about flying with pets with Turkish Airlines, so I was skeptical. Then, when I called the Turkish Airlines contact center, they did NOT put my mind at ease.

I was unsure whether to fly with Turkish from Phuket or with another airline from Bangkok (which would make the trip even longer). In the end (after much research), I decided to risk it and book my flight and pet reservation with Turkish Airlines.

With Turkish Airlines, you book your pet reservation at the same time as booking your flight, and they will tell you immediately if it’s possible. Turkish Airlines allows you to bring one small pet in the cabin and one pet in hold per person.

Although the call center staff were not very helpful, the online booking process was not too complicated. I thought we would get a separate pet confirmation after booking, but we only got the general flight confirmation.

After another call with the contact center, I was told this was normal. Moreover, when I checked my booking on their website, I could see all 3 of my cats had been successfully added.

And that was that. I just had to hope that Turkish Airlines would not cancel my flight or pet reservation at the last minute, which, thankfully, they didn’t.

Pre-Travel Vet Visits & Airport Checks

After finding a flight that accepts pets, it’s time to get to work – and there is a lot to do.

The first thing I did was call my vet, who had arranged all their travel documents. She walked me through what I needed to do.

First, I needed to bring all my cats to the vet for their health certificates 7 days before the flight.

Then, 1 day before the flight, I had to take the cats to Phuket airport’s animal quarantine station (AQS).

Because I was flying with three cats, it took a long time (over 2 hours) to process their documents at the AQS office.

Here, they prepared for me:

• An export certificate to take the cats out of Thailand
• An EU health certificate as I was traveling to the UK via Amsterdam.
• A UK health certificate

Now, these were not 1-page documents – They were 5-10 pages each. These certificates, along with their other documents, meant I had a mountain of paperwork for each cat!

One last thing to note – You MUST bring your pet to the AQS station with you. The staff won’t do any examinations, but they need to see them and scan their microchips.

All 3 of my cats were absolute angels sitting in the office for 2 hours, and it was excellent crate training for them, which we’ll discuss next…

Crate Training My Cats

Most cats don’t like being closed in a small carrier or crate for even a minute, let alone hours and hours. So, to ensure they stay calm during the long trip, you must get your cat used to being in their carrier.

That’s why I ordered my cat’s carriers and crates as soon as I booked the flight. The carriers arrived about one week before the flight, giving me just enough time to crate-train them.

Here’s how I did it…

I started feeding them in their crates. Once inside, I would close them up and keep them in there for 15 to 20 minutes.

At first, they hated it and would meow constantly. But interestingly, the more we did it, the more they got used to it and just accepted it.

By the end, they would happily go into their carriers to eat and then calmly sit there until I let them out.

I believe the crate training helped them significantly on travel day.

They were not only familiar with their carriers but also had a positive association with them – food. Plus, their carriers now contained their scent, which is crucial for helping cats stay calm while traveling.

The LONG Journey – Phuket – Istanbul – Amsterdam – UK

So let me explain why I flew to Amsterdam to go to the UK…

It wasn’t out of choice. Due to the UK’s strict regulations, you cannot fly into the UK with pets.

When moving with cats or dogs, there are only two ways to bring them into the UK:

1. Fly them via cargo
2. Fly to Amsterdam or Paris and then enter the UK by sea

I choose the Amsterdam route for a few reasons.

1. The airport is relatively close to the ferry port (compared to the Paris/Calais route).
2. There is no language barrier, which would make it easier to navigate around with three cats.
3. The ferry from Hook of Holland docks in a town just 1 hour away from my end destination.

I’m glad I chose to travel via Amsterdam, as this part of the trip was extremely smooth. Plus, the people in Amsterdam were super friendly and helpful – which, trust me, after traveling 18 hours with three cats, is exactly what you need!

I’ll explain more about that later; First, let’s talk about the airport experience!

At The Airport

Despite knowing Phuket airport like the back of my hand, I was super stressed when we arrived there with our 3 cats.

But I’m happy to say that the airport staff were fantastic; They loved the cats, and we were extremely helpful.

Due to airline regulations, my partner and I could not sit together. We both had to have window seats, so we sat in consecutive rows.

Seeing how anxious we were, the woman checking us in blocked out the seats next to us so we could have more space!

The check-in process took quite a while with 3 staff members checking the cats’ documents. Once they were satisfied, two staff members escorted us to the oversized baggage area. Here we had to say goodbye to our cat Scooby, who was traveling in the hold.

Before doing so, I had to take him out of his carrier so they could x-ray it. I then gave him a big cuddle and filled his food and water dishes. The staff put zip ties on his crate (to ensure it stayed shut), and he was gone.

Going through security

We then made our way to security, which, thankfully, wasn’t busy. We made a beeline for the last row, which was quieter.

Here, we had to take the cats out of their carriers and walk them through the scanner while their carriers went through the X-ray machine.

Once we were through security, we headed upstairs, which was much quieter. I expanded the cat’s carriers (I brought them expandable carriers) so they could stretch out, and we waited there until it was time to board.

At the boarding gate we told the staff we were traveling with cats and asked if we could board first and surprisingly, they allowed us. This meant we could get on the plane and get the cats settled before it got loud and busy.

On The Plane

I had so many worries about flying with my cats. We had a 10-hour flight to Istanbul and then a 3-hour flight to Amsterdam, which is extremely long for a human, let alone an animal!

I was particularly worried about how they would react during take-off and if they would be meowing constantly during the flight.

So how did they do?

One of my cats freaked out and meowed during take-off but quickly settled down again. The other one was totally fine.

During the flight, there were times when both cats would meow and get agitated, so we would have to keep soothing them whenever this happened.

Having an empty seat next to us was amazing, especially as it was a 2-4-2 configuration, so we essentially had the rows to ourselves.

We kept the cats on the seat next to us (in their carriers) rather than under the chair in front of us for most of the flight. Only during take-off and landing did the staff ask us to put them under the chair.

A few times during the flight, we did take them out of the carriers to cuddle them and let them look around.

About halfway through the 10-hour flight, Georgie, who was sitting with me, got very stressed and agitated. I tried giving him cuddles and treats, but nothing would settle him – he just kept meowing.

I was so stressed and worried that he would disturb the passengers around us, and I didn’t know how to quiet him down.

After about 30 minutes of him crying, my partner suggested that he might need to pee or poop. So I took him to the toilet, set up the foldable litter tray and the small bag of litter I packed, and low and behold, Georgie went straight into it and peed.

As you can probably guess, he settled down quickly after returning to the seat!

Istanbul Layover

Our experience in Istanbul was nothing like our pleasant experience in Phuket airport. Most of the staff we encountered were unhelpful and downright rude.

There was a HUGE queue to get through security for connecting flights. We asked staff if there was a fast track lane we could use but basically got told to f**k off.

Our second flight was delayed, so we ended up having a few hours in the airport.

We let the cats out of their carriers (on their harnesses), and they stretched their legs. We also took them to the disabled toilet and set up their travel litter tray, but neither of them used it.

At the boarding gate, we asked if we could get priority boarding, already knowing the answer: NO!

Needless to say, Turkish airlines may claim to be pet-friendly, but their staff at Istanbul airport are definitely not!

Arriving In Amsterdam

Our flight landed in Amsterdam around 11 am. I booked the night ferry to the UK with a pet-friendly cabin so we could get a proper night’s sleep and arrive refreshed.

That meant we had 6 hours to kill with three cats in tow.
I knew we would all be exhausted after the flights, so I booked day use at a hotel 5 minutes from the airport.

Getting out of Amsterdam airport was smooth. When we arrived in the luggage hall, we went in search of Scooby, our cat who had been traveling in the hold.

After enquiring at the luggage desk, the woman escorted us to the office where Scooby was waiting for us. He was extremely pleased to see us, and I was overwhelmed with emotion to reunite with him after such a long flight.

We immediately gave him loads of cuddles and kisses, and his brothers happily greeted him too. I was surprised at how fine he seemed – not stressed or traumatized at all!

After picking up Scooby, we grabbed our luggage and headed for customs. A customs officer stopped us and asked to see the cat’s documents. It took him about 10 minutes to scan their chips and check everything was ok, and then we were on our way.

We left the airport, got in a taxi straight away, arrived at the hotel, and checked in. The cats were super happy to come out of their carriers and have some space and privacy.

After eating and a short nap, it was time to head to the ferry port for the last leg of the journey!

Taking The Ferry From Amsterdam to Harwich (UK)

The Stena Line ferry port (Hook of Holland) was an hour away. We had pre-arranged a taxi (with the taxi driver from the airport), and it was a smooth ride to the port.

The check-in process at the port was unbelievably effortless. Most people were taking the ferry with a vehicle, so the passenger terminal was empty.

After showing our passports and the cats’ huge folders of documents, we breezed through security, and a few minutes later, we were on the ferry.

We were immediately given a key to our cabin, which was nicer and bigger than I was expecting. The cats loved it, especially as there was a large window with a seat where they could sit and look out.

We were all so tired that we fell asleep before the ferry even departed. The cats curled up on the bed with us and slept like logs.

We woke up, had breakfast, and before we knew it, there was the announcement to disembark. We put the cats in their carriers one last time, grabbed our luggage, and walked off the ferry into this new chapter of our lives.

Final Thoughts On Moving With Cats

It sounds cliche, but that 2-day trip with three cats was more than just a physical journey. With the level of grief, stress, and anxiety I was feeling, it was an absolute whirlwind.

I was so convinced something would go wrong. So, when we stepped off the ferry, I laughed and cried with relief.

Ironically, my partner and I were much more stressed than any of our cats were. They were all fine and immediately adapted to life in England (not so much the weather, though!)

I can safely say that moving with cats from Thailand to the UK is something I will NEVER do again. However, it’s certainly a journey I will never, ever forget!

---

If you’re planning to move overseas with your cat or dog, download my FREE step-by-step pet relocation guide. Along with a walkthrough of the procedure, I share estimated costs and the best pet-friendly airlines.